Natalie Powell took up judo at the tender age of eight and with just a year of training began competing at nine years-old.

Introduced to the sport through friends, the 21 year-old has been catapulted in to the limelight over the past 12 months after a string of successful results. In 2011 she won gold in the European Cup in Malaga and scooped titles at the British Trials and the UK School Games.

Coached by Craig Ewers, Natalie trains three times every day at the Sport Wales National Centre and dreams of winning gold at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and competing for Team GB at an Olympic Games.